HONOLULU — According to Teres Solutions, which provides direct and indirect lending software to financial institutions, FirstLight Federal Credit Union increased its indirect lending volume by a factor of five with the assistance of its Software Application for Integrated Lending.

Since launching the SAIL software, FirstLight said it has seen indirect loan volume climb from $22 million in 2004 to more than $100 million in 2006 thanks to the product.

"In the past couple of years, the lending market has softened considerably, and many credit unions and financial institutions have felt the pinch," said Wayne Condie, vice president of lending for FirstLight. "But that has not been the case for us.

"With SNAIL software, we've not only hit our goals but have exceeded them, even during these tough times," he continued. "We've also done so without increasing staff. It's a testament to the powerful automation and integration capabilities the SAIL suite provides and the hard work of the lending team at FirstLight.

Officials said SAIL can help business because it is integrated with dealer networks, such as DealerTrack, RouteOne and CUDL. For example, executives said the integration with DealerTrack has allowed FirstLight to automatically fund loans it otherwise could not access as easily.

"FirstLight is a beacon to the credit unions and financial institutions looking to find their way in this shifting lending landscape," said Bruce Callen, president of Teres Solutions.

"With the help of SAIL software and its integration with the dealer networks, FirstLight's talented lending professionals have achieved incredible growth year-over-year. The credit union is a model of how institutions can not only survive in a changing market, but thrive," he added.

Teres said some of the features of the SAIL family of products include: